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Anne Ferris and Mary Mitchell O'Connor are two of only 25 female TDs in the Dáil, out of a total 166 Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

TD says lack of childcare and cash stops women entering politics

The Labour TD for Wicklow / East Carlow says women face five particular challenges they need met, before they can consider running for election, and we can achieve balance.

LABOUR TD ANNE Ferris says we must change the culture and the way that candidates are selected for election to correct the gender imbalance in the Dáil.

The TD for Wicklow / East Carlow is adding her voice to calls to help facilitate more women’s entry into politics.

Speaking at the Parnell Summer School in Wicklow, Deputy Ferris said what ‘say’ women have depends on their representation.

She pointed to an Oireachtas study, carried out in 2009, which outlined the five things women need changed before they can contribute more fully to politics.

They are confidence, childcare, cash, culture and candidate selection.

Failures

Deputy Ferris says the consequences of neglecting those 5′Cs’ are that in the last Dáil, 47 per cent of Irish women had no female TD to represent them, while 100 per cent of Irish men did have a male TD to represent them.

Anne Ferris says that creates a situation where comments, like those directed at her fellow TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor this summer, can freely be made.

In the infamous  ’Miss Piggy’ incident, Independent TDs Mick Wallace, Luke Ming Flanagan and Shane Ross commented on the colour of Deputy Mitchell O’Connor’s clothing.

Consequences

Women make up 50 per cent of our population, but they are represented in the Dáil by a group of female politicians who comprise just 15 per cent of the total number of deputies in the current Dáil.

Anne Ferris quoted research that for women to exert a substantive influence on the decisions taken by the legislature, it must reach a critical mass of at least one third of the seats present.

Deputy Ferris wondered, in her speech, whether the under-representation of women might account for certain historical injustices in this country such as the Magdalene Laundries, and the sexual abuse of children by priests.

Legislation

Labour’s Ms Ferris has, perhaps not surprisingly, applauded the government’s legislative initiative to introduce controversial gender quotas.

The new rules will force parties to choose 30 per cent female candidates in the next election, rising to 40 per cent after 7 years.

For her part, the deputy says she will work to increase the number of women on State Boards.  Under the Programme for Government, women should make up 40 per cent  of all State Boards.

She singled out the upcoming presidential election as one that does offer a fair breakdown of female to male candidates, but added that it wasn’t enough that this should be the exception, rather than the rule.

Last week, in a piece she wrote for TheJournal.ie, Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor said the Dáil is nowhere close to providing equality in representation.

The Dun Laoghaire representative said the fact that the Dáil has only 25 female TDs out of a total of 166 a ‘shocking indictment’ of our system.

She went on to outline statistics that showed on 15 per cent of candidates in the last election were women, while there were no women candidates at all in four constituencies.

Read Mary Mitchell O’Connor’s column for TheJournal>

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14 Comments
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    Mute Roomba Roomba
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:30 PM

    What a grim selection of tunes

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    Mute Enda Ireland
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    Dec 13th 2016, 9:07 PM

    Here’s my personal favorite.You’re gonna be singing it at the end.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVj0ZTS4WF4&list=FLfhnRtnyD5-bN09cEGbNbyQ&index=58

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    Mute The Girl
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    Dec 13th 2016, 9:37 PM

    No Irish artiste?

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    Mute Sinead Hanley
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    Dec 13th 2016, 9:52 PM

    The only song I could recognize is fifth harmony.. I am so fcuking ooooooold

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    Mute Jimmyjoe Wallace
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    Dec 14th 2016, 7:58 AM

    No Sinead you probably just have good taste in music

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    Mute Shane O'Donnell
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    Dec 14th 2016, 11:05 AM

    Tune!

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    Mute Patrick
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:37 PM

    Irish people are thick as **** going by these stats

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    Mute Thin Lizzy
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:48 PM

    All crap

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    Mute Qwerty
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:44 PM

    That Bieber fellow needs to learn how to dress himself properly.

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    Mute Malvolio32
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:46 PM

    For the first couple of years I thought he was called justin beaver.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Dec 13th 2016, 10:29 PM

    how can any lad walk around with his jeans like that ? has to be very restricting !

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    Mute Daniel O Neill
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    Dec 14th 2016, 8:10 AM

    Bieber is the german for beaver so technically you were right!

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:58 PM

    Jebus and to think I thought Daniel O’Donnell was bad

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    Mute tomeenoldstock
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    Dec 13th 2016, 11:03 PM

    I have spotify premium, love it and use it a lot yet never listened to any of those( except Coldplay but just once)

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    Mute Dara McGann
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:31 PM

    No Hamilton :( I’m in shock

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    Mute Oisin Conroy
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    Dec 13th 2016, 11:34 PM

    No Prince? Not surprising, since you can’t stream Prince on Spotify. Says it all, really.

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    Mute Fox in the Box
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    Dec 14th 2016, 7:26 PM

    @Oisin Conroy:

    You answered your own question so why ask it?

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    Mute Dan Henry
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:47 PM

    Fairytale Of New York

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    Mute Ben Moylan
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:48 PM

    Top Hit In Syria ,The Wolfe Tones Sung By The Brilliant SAA,Were On The Road Again ,Were On The Road To Glory Not Paradise..

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    Mute Ben Moylan
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    Dec 13th 2016, 9:13 PM

    @Ben Moylan: Must Be Soft Cell Fans Red Thumbing Me

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Dec 13th 2016, 10:36 PM

    Yes we are.

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    Mute John Doe
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    Dec 13th 2016, 11:30 PM

    Ben.. 1st sign of madness?

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    Mute Sandor Fazekas
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    Dec 14th 2016, 8:19 AM

    I wouldn’t call of any of these musician

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    Mute Jill
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    Dec 14th 2016, 10:12 AM

    I can just imagine an Irish Mammy Googling “What is the snapchat filter” or “What is bae”

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    Mute Em Ni Mhurchu
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    Dec 14th 2016, 10:34 AM

    It’s sad that I’m so old, but 21 Pilots are one of the most exciting ‘new’ musicians I’ve heard for a very long time! One of the few music likes I have in common with my teenage daughter. Every time they come on the radio the volume is turned up high. I love them!

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    Mute Dave Curtis
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    Dec 14th 2016, 8:16 AM

    My personal top 100 alternative tunes of 2016 not a sniff of Bieber or Drake

    https://open.spotify.com/user/1268220773/playlist/4Y7h6WNdAK2pXYk7I6x8zl

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    Mute Jill
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    Dec 14th 2016, 10:11 AM

    This list is practically the same as the Globes top tracks this year. It’s not specific to Ireland, those songs were in the top list of most countries!

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    Mute Jill
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    Dec 14th 2016, 10:13 AM

    @Jill: This comment was meant for a different article and it wont let me delete it D:

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    Mute Seán Butler
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:49 PM

    Twenty one pilots the best out of them.

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    Mute Seán Butler
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:48 PM

    Twenty one pilots the best out of that lot.

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    Mute Seán Butler
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    Dec 13th 2016, 8:43 PM

    Twenty one pilots about the best there.

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